Stuck On You [2004] [DVD]

Whilst the film does have humour -- some moments hilariously funny -- this film is at heart a light drama; and this is certainly by no means a bad thing. When I expected low-IQ humour, what I got was just a really involving tale of two brothers who just happen to be conjoined. The chemistry between Damon and Kinnear is just perfect, and the relationship between the brothers (no doubt written from experience by the Farrelly Brothers) was wonderful.

Fox's marketing treatment of the film is appalling. In the trailer, Matt Damon's character says: "We're not Siamese, we're American," and the trailer plays it like he is stupid. Whereas in fact, when watching the film, the context is very different -- he's reacting with indignation, and in defence of their conjoined nature. This is indicative of the entire film. Never is their conjoined-nature used for humour in a bad way.

Throw away what you've seen in the trailers, or what you think the film is about. It's well worth purchasing this movie that has its heart so very much in the right place -- a great antidote to so many Hollywood films that have the soul of a stone. I don't normally get sentimental with films; I'm the type of viewer that laughs when Jack dies at the end of Titanic. But I went away from Stuck On You knowing I'd seen a very special film indeed, so it's nice to see it finally on DVD. A commentary is good, but the extras are a bit sparse. Thumbs up though for a DTS soundtrack. Overall, highly recommended.

but I just wanted to add, its funny! A good film to watch just to have a laugh. Nothing clever or deep about it.

Just a good film.

The film portrays a complex issue without really penetrating it or trying to elevate the audience's understanding. People were understandably worried that a Farrelly Brothers film about conjoined twins would simply use the twins as an excuse for gross-out jokes, but the gentle portrayal of the twins proved them largely wrong. Even so, the characters and their predicament still seem to be nothing more than a kind of tool for the story, and this seems a shame.

As a comedy, this film is funny in places and not so funny in others, due to the restraint the directors must have felt in tackling such a sensitive subject. To me, it's similar to 'Shallow Hal', in that it's an uneasy mixture of silly jokes and genuine attempts to make serious points about relationships and life. The Farrelly Brothers are still at their best when they indulge in unrestrained mayhem and vulgarity, as they did in their masterpiece 'There's something about Mary'. I'd advise you to catch this on rental for a nice night in when you're at a loose end, or wait until it's included in one of those 'three for two' offers in the shops.